Lily's Magic
by LiveLifeLaughLoud
Summary: Lily Evans first learned about the magical world from her best friend, Severus Snape. But when Lily receives her Hogwarts letter, her life is nonetheless turned upside down. The story of Lily's Hogwarts years, featuring the antagonizing James Potter.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Letter

A loud tapping noise filled the spacious kitchen where a small family was seated at breakfast. A girl with dark red hair flicked her green eyes down the hallway that led to the door, but nobody moved.

"Don't all get up at once," the man seated at the head of the table muttered sarcastically, "I'm sure it's not at all important." With that, he stood up, stretched, and left the room. The two girls giggled and slyly glanced at their mother, who rolled her eyes.

"Your father works hard, you know. You could help him out every once in a while."

The red-haired girl still looked amused, but the blonde, who was older, and obviously less mischievous, stopped laughing and looked properly chastised.

"Sorry mum," she mumbled, "I didn't-"

But before she could finish, her father re-entered, looking confused.

"I could have sworn I heard the door. Lily, was that you? Why are you laughing?" He looked from girl to girl before glancing up at his wife. "Josie?" he questioned.

"Are you sure it wasn't a package, Sam?" his wife, Josie, queried, "I'm waiting for the last bit of your parent's old china set to arrive from London.

"Nope, I checked," Sam replied, "nothing there."

"I bet it was that awful, awful boy," the blonde girl whispered so only Lily could hear, "he would knock and then run away."

"SHUT UP, TUNEY," Lily Evans snapped, trying to gain her parent's attention by capitalizing on her sister's rudeness, "Mum, Tuney is being ru- Oh! What's that at the window?"

Her parents, fully ready to upbraid Lily for interrupting their conversation, turned to see what she was exclaiming about. There, outside the window, sat a large barn owl. Petunia screamed.

Gasping with excitement, Lily ran to open the window. This could be the moment. Severus had told her this would happen, but she had never fully believed him until now. There was just too big a chance of being let down. But now, now it seemed it was really happening. Sure enough, the owl had a letter attached to its leg.

Lily's parents were too surprised to speak. They watched curiously as their daughter untied the letter, petted the owl, and then sat down and gazed at the purple wax seal. Imprinted in the wax, she could just make out a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake, surrounding a large 'H' in an arrangement that reminded Lily of the crests that she saw on suits of armor in museums and the like.

Flipping the letter over, she read and re-read the emerald green, hand-written address:

_Ms L. Evans_

_ The Second Downstairs Bedroom_

_ 35 Careweather Lane_

_ Mill Town_

_ England_

With the utmost care, Lily broke the seal and tugged on the letter within. Unfolding two sheets of the same stiff paper, she continued to pore over the words inside until her mother cleared her throat.

A smile spread across Lily's face as she turned her eyes toward her nervous-looking parents. "You will never believe this." Looking back down, she proceeded to read the letter aloud:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_ Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Ms Evans,_

_ It may come as a surprise to you to hear this, but you live in a world where magic exists. We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A representative will arrive at your residence later today to inform you about the magical world and educate you on your situation. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_ Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Throughout the letter, Josie had gotten paler and paler until her daughter finished reading, at which point she collapsed into her chair, utterly speechless.

"Is it a joke?" Sam inquired warily, "There's no return address."

Lily took a deep breath before replying, "No. It's real. Severus told me this would happen. He is a wizard as well. He recognized what I was doing on the playground one day. Magic."

"Magic!" Petunia gasped. "No way. I thought he was making it up! How, how-" but Petunia did not get the chance to finish as her mother finally discovered her voice.

"LILY! This is amazing, sweetheart! Oh my, my little girl! I can't believe- how could this- is it really true?" Josie kept cutting her sentences short as she attempted to make heads or tails of the situation. It was unbelievable. Her little girl, her Lily, was magical? A witch? Well, it did not sound as nice when she put it that way. But magic existed? This was the moment every little girl dreams of, and it was coming true. It was coming true for her daughter.

By that time, both Sam and Josie were glowing with pride, and not hesitating in expressing their joy to Lily, who beamed. Petunia took the chance to slink out of the kitchen, and nobody noticed as she departed.

Petunia ran out of the house, frustrated and confused. How could this happen? How could it happen to Lily? Most importantly, why hadn't it happened to her? It was all so overwhelming. At thirteen, Petunia's life was complicated enough as it was. With school, friends, and boys to think about, Lily's becoming a witch was out of the question. And a boarding school! With that, the reality of the news hit her. Every realization sank in at once. Lily was leaving. Lily was leaving home, leaving school, leaving her sister, Tuney. Her sister, her best friend, her confidant, they were all disappearing with Lily. And then, Petunia made her decision. If Lily was going to become a witch, she would simply have to become one as well.

As Petunia stood up from the patch of grass she had sunk into in dismay, a scrawny, black-haired boy ran up to her, looking breathless and excited. Petunia saw a familiar-looking, yellowish letter grasped firmly in his hand.

"Severus," she said snappishly, "What are you doing here?"

Severus ignored her less than welcoming greeting and coolly replied, "Where's Lily? I have to see her."

"Lily is busy. I will tell her you came around."

"She can't be busy. I'll come with you."

"How would you know if she's busy or not? I'm her sister, not you." And with that, Petunia turned and strode quickly toward her house, which differed from the identical brick ones on either side only by the gold '35' next to the door. Severus trailed closely behind her.

Back in the kitchen, Lily's father was on the phone with his clinic director, Robert Green. Sam Evans was a doctor, a pediatrician precisely, and he loved what he did.

"Are you sure it's all right? I'll come in for whichever appointments can't be rescheduled. Oh, all right. Thanks a lot. I will enjoy it, Robert, thanks again. Yeah, I don't take days off too often. That's right. Goodbye." Ending his conversation with Robert, Sam turned around to his wife and daughter, beaming. "That's it! I've got a whole day off to celebrate. What are we going to do before this 'representative' arrives?"

Lily looked up at her father adoringly. "Well," she responded, hesitating, "I would like to send them my reply, if that's all right."

Sam laughed, as did his wife, at Lily's hesitance. "Go ahead, sweetheart," he chuckled, "It wouldn't be like you to put anything off for a moment more than necessary, anyways." He watched proudly as his daughter skipped off down the hallway, then turned to his wife.

"Well-"

Josie interrupted, "My goodness. Who would've thought?"

"Seriously, Jo, who wouldn't have. I can't think of anybody who deserves this more than Lily."

"But what about Petunia? I'm worried about her."

"Don't worry, darling. Nobody will ruin Lily's accomplishment, I'll see to that."

"Sam, I'm not worried about Lily, not in the least. She is a brilliant girl. But Petunia, how is she going to hold up through all of this?"

"I don't know, Josie, I honestly don't know."

The front door banged open as Petunia barged into the house, with Severus at her heels. She did not, however, close the door on him. He took that as enough incentive to tentatively enter and call out Lily's name.

Petunia took the stairs two at a time and raced down the hall until she reached her small second-floor bedroom. Thrusting open the shutters, she grabbed a ballpoint pen off of her desk and rifled through the drawers until she found a sheet of blank white paper. Slowly removing the pen cap, she bit her lip, waiting for the words to come. Finally, she began to write.

"Dear Professor Dumbledore-"

Finishing her letter, Petunia opened her drawers once again in search of an envelope. Finding one alongside a packet of postage stamps, she threw both on her desk, folding the letter and shoving it into the envelope. Then, having not the slightest idea where to address the letter to, she simply wrote:

_Professor Albus Dumbledore_

_ Hogwarts_

_ England_

Pleased with her letter, Petunia dashed downstairs to the letterbox out front, where she posted the letter, closed her eyes, and wished with all her heart.

In the meantime, Severus had not yet gathered up the nerve go straight to Lily's room, where he had been hundreds of times. Instead, he headed to the kitchen, from which he could hear soft voices discussing something seriously. Peering in, Severus cleared his throat before mumbling, "Hi Mr. Evans, Mrs. Evans."

"Severus! Lily's in her room, writing a letter. Go on in."

With that encouragement, Severus tripped lightly down the hall and into Lily's room. He was, as always, visually assaulted by a copious amount of lavender upon entering. The walls, bedspread, and curtains were all the same shade of lavender, Lily's favorite color. Beneath the window, Lily sat at her desk, writing rapidly, and yet unaware of Severus' presence.

"Lily." The intended greeting came out as no more than a whisper, and he cleared his throat yet again, speaking more loudly, "Hey. You got it, right? You must have."

Lily, who had spun around at his whisper, began to laugh at his timidity, while responding, "Yes, silly! Yes, yes, yes, I got it! It's true! Oh, Severus, thank you so much." With that, Lily jumped up from her chair, and threw her arms around the surprised boy. He cautiously freed his own arms from his sides and wrapped them around his friend.

"I can't believe we're really going to school together!" Lily overflowed with happiness, "And a magic school at that! Hogwarts-" she tested out the word on her tongue slowly, and burst out laughing. Severus rolled his eyes at the vivacious girl. She was always like this, bubbly, cheerful, and giggly. Nevertheless, Lily was one of the brightest people he knew, and her curiosity was insatiable.

Lily placed her pen down on her desk next to her completed letter. She turned back to Severus, saying slowly, "I want you to tell me all about Hogwarts. I want to hear everything."

"Lily, I've told you everything I know hundreds of times!"

"Well, I want to hear it again." As always, the stubborn redhead got her way, and they headed outside as Severus began to speak.

A/N: Well, that's that! My first chapter EVER is up. Read, Review, Re-read! I'd love to hear comments, constructive criticism, your favorite flavor of ice cream, and any IDEAS or PLOT TWISTS you'd like to see. Let's keep it interesting ;) Also, what do you think about the length? Too short, too long, just right? Review!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

One dusty afternoon found the residents of 35 Careweather Lane exceptionally quiet for the household's recent state of uproar, however, much of the silence could likely be attributed to the stifling heat that had settled in the small town and surrounding country.

A week had passed since Lily received her Hogwarts letter, and the Evans' were just beginning to recover from the shocking news. A very kind Ministry of Magic representative had arrived the afternoon of the letter's arrival and had sat the family down and explained to them the truth about the world of magic. It was much like what Severus had told Lily, but with less insignificant details and a more 'adult' explanation of the way their government, the Ministry, worked.

He had gone as far as to demonstrate his magical abilities to Lily's disbelieving parents, transfiguring his empty glass into a small bird, which had flown around the room until Petunia, who was lurking in the corner, shrieked.

Lily was even more lively and spirited than usual as of late, spending every moment she could spare discussing Hogwarts with Severus. Severus was delighted, simply because Lily was happy. It was a surprise to him how quickly she had accepted the turn of events; he had expected a bit more persuasion would be necessary on his part, but his worrying was for nothing. He was receiving much more attention than usual from herself and her parents, and was relieved to finally be able to discuss with them the half of his life that about which only Lily had previously known.

This unbearably hot August day found the two friends sitting in Lily's room, enjoying the constant blast of cold air from her ceiling fan, while they hid from the sun.

"Sev," Lily began, after a long pause in their chatter, "How is your mum? She must have been pleased when you got your letter."

Severus froze at the mention of his mother. "Yeah. I suppose. Yeah, she was pleased. Dad, not so much."

Lily cringed at his very hesitant response, before bravely continuing, "Are you excited to be leaving home, then? You won't miss them?"

"Miss them?" Severus scoffed. "That would be a laugh."

"Oh, Sev, how can you be so-" Lily paused, choosing her next words carefully, "so nonchalant? I'm going to miss Mum and Dad dreadfully. And Tuney." She added her sister's name seemingly as an afterthought, but Lily truly was going to miss her sister. They already seemed to be growing apart.

"Speaking of Tuney," Lily said loudly, gathering herself together to keep in the tears, "She's got both of my favorite pens. Let's find them before we go outside."

"Outside?" Severus whined, "It's blazing hot out there!"

"You promised you would show me your new spot today," Lily reminded him, "Let's go."

The odd pair left the room and slowly trudged upstairs to Petunia's bedroom. Lily knocked at the door, but nobody was inside, so she pushed it open and entered, allowing Severus to step inside before she shut it again.

Unlike Lily's room, Petunia's was a sickly peach color with rose-colored trim. Accents of spring green added nothing to the overall effect, and Severus was left with the overall impression of bunny rabbits, babies, and Easter.

"Eugh, it's so girly," he complained, looking around curiously, "I've never been in here before."

"And you shouldn't be now, Petunia would kill me, so shut up." Lily warned.

Severus laughed, but suddenly grew quiet as he approached the desk in the corner and picked something up. "Whoa!" he whispered, "What's this?"

Lily tiptoed over to see what he had discovered. It was a short letter alongside a neatly opened envelope. She peered over his shoulder to see whom the letter was addressed to. The address looked very familiar:

_Petunia Evans_

_ The Smaller Upstairs Bedroom_

_ 35 Careweather Lane_

_ Mill Town_

_ England_

It was not long before Lily realized what Severus already had: the letter was from Hogwarts. Glancing at the signature on the other sheet of paper, Lily gasped. The letter was from Professor Dumbledore! Had Petunia been accepted into Hogwarts as well?

"Sev! We shouldn't be reading that, it's personal." Lily intoned.

Smirking, Severus held the letter out to her. "She left it out. Anyways, I'm done reading. And I know what you're thinking. Petunia wasn't let in. Professor Dumbledore _kindly_ let her know that it was impossible for her to learn magic, as she is not magical. She's not like us, Lily. Frankly, I'm shocked a muggle like her even managed to contact Hogwarts.

Lily glared at Severus, angry with him for his unkind speech, and for the truth it contained. Petunia was not like Lily and Severus. She would not learn to be a witch alongside Lily, and Lily would just have to live with that.

Refusing to meet Lily's eyes, Severus placed the letter down and resumed poking around on the desk. He quickly discovered Lily's two missing pens, which he meekly held out to her. She accepted them coolly, and then placed her hand on Severus's arm.

"I'm sorry, Sev. It's not your fault."

Looking up gratefully, Severus responded, "It's not your fault either, Lily. It's nobody's fault. This is just the way things are."

He was shocked to see tears forming in Lily's eyes. She let out a watery chuckle.

"Let's go outside, this is stupid." She moved her hand down and grabbed his briefly, tugging him toward the door, before letting go and running ahead down the stairs.

"I'll never understand you, Lily Evans." The greasy-haired boy whispered to himself as he watched her red hair fly around the corner, enchanted.

The day had finally come. Lily, Severus, and Lily's parents were going to Diagon Alley for Lily's school materials. Secretly, Lily was also hoping to find a pet owl or cat while they were out, but she knew that they would be spending quite a bit of money as it was and did not want to impose upon her parents.

Severus was quite embarrassed at the whole idea of the trip, but Sam had insisted that he go with them in order to save his parents a trip to London. Sam and Josie did not know the extent of Severus' parents' troubles, but they had heard enough to welcome Severus into their house, despite his slightly queer personality.

Upon their arrival outside the address they had been given for the Leaky Cauldron, Lily unbuckled her seatbelt and slid out of the car, breathless. A small cough from behind her reminded her of Severus, who was stuck in his seatbelt. Earlier, Lily had discovered that Severus had never ridden in a car before. Instead of making fun of him, Lily had taken pity on Severus and explained everything she had learned about automobiles as a small child. Severus was a very good audience, nodding with comprehension and asking for clarification in all the right places. Lily was happy to finally be the one with the answers, which was a change from her usual situation as a wizarding novice.

"Come on, kids!" Josie called from the sidewalk. "It should be right around here somewhere."

"What is she talking about?" Severus asked, pointing out a sign clearly visible to Lily and himself, "It's right here."

The sign was old, with peeling paint, but the words inscribed on it were clearly visible: 'The Leaky Cauldron.'

"I don't think they can see it, Sev." Lily guessed, looking at her parents confused faces.

"What are you guys talking about?" Sam asked, glancing around.

"The Leaky Cauldron is right here, but only we can see it. Turn around, mum." Lily demanded, walking toward the door. She turned the knob, and her mother gasped.

"Oh! It just appeared out of nowhere," Josie laughed, "But that's probably not the last surprise we'll be getting today."

Josie prediction was quite correct, as surprise after surprise awaited the group in the Leaky Cauldron, culminating in a tall brick wall, which transformed into the entrance into the breathtaking business of Diagon Alley.

Following the instructions of the friendly bartender of the Leaky Cauldron, the group first headed straight down the Alley to a large, grand building: the wizard bank, Gringotts.

Lily stared up at the massive building, quite impressed, as they passed through a set of bronze doors. Looking back down, she noticed something, and blinked in surprise. Lily turned to Severus, forming a question on the tip of her tongue, but stopped at his warning look.

Severus answered her unasked question in a whisper, "Yeah, those are goblins. Don't stare; you don't want to offend them.

Lily didn't need any more persuasion than that to quicken her step as she passed yet another goblin, noticing words engraved on the second set of doors, which were silver this time. She read in wonder:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_ Of what awaits the sin of greed, _

_ For those who take, but do not earn, _

_ Must pay most dearly in their turn,_

_ So if you seek beneath our floors_

_ A treasure that was never yours, _

_ Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_ Of finding more than treasure there._

The thoughtful look on Severus's face when Lily turned to see his reaction told her that he also had just finished reading the warning.

"Imagine all the gold that must be stored in here. It's amazing." Severus finally said.

"Yeah, I suppose that's why they've got so much protection around here." Lily agreed.

Josie and Sam proceeded through the second set of doors after the children, hurrying them along. They entered a magnificent, open hall of marble, full of columns with innumerable doors in between them. Goblins were seated at regular intervals along the marble counter that ran the length of the room, interrupted by columns, and even more goblins were leading people through these openings into rooms and hallways.

The group hurried over to a counter, and Sam pulled his wallet out of his pocket, preparing to exchange the muggle bills he had brought for wizarding money.

He handed a goblin a stack of bills, making his request, but what was piled on the counter in place of the bills was unexpected to everyone but Severus. Several columns of gold, silver, and bronze coins sat neatly piled in front of the party.

"No notes?" Sam asked to nobody in particular, perplexed. Turning to Severus, he continued, "Do they do all their transactions in coins, then? It must be quite tedious. This can't be worth that much." He picked up a Galleon and flipped it with his thumb, waiting to be contradicted.

"Yeah, it's all done with these," Severus responded knowingly, "But they're worth more than you think. There are twenty-nine of the little bronze ones, Knuts, in a silver Sickle, and seventeen Sickles in a Galleon."

"These galleons must really be worth a lot, then, if it's worth putting nearly five hundred Knuts in each." Sam chuckled.

"Five hundred! That's impossible." Josie scoffed.

"Mental math, darling. It's reality."

Severus stared up at the couple arguing lovingly and sighed. He wished his parents could get along like Lily's did. It wasn't at all fair that some relationships just worked out like magic, while others crumbled to ashes for no reason at all.

As Sam finished scooping the coins into a bag, where they clinked loudly, Josie turned and mumbled something to him. He nodded, brightening, and promptly turned to Lily.

"Darling, you and Severus take this and go start getting your things. Your mum and I are going to talk to someone about starting an account for you here. It was your mum's idea, but I agree completely. It's time you began saving up for your future."

Lily rolled her eyes, but Severus took it upon himself to correct Sam, saying, "Actually, you don't open accounts at Gringotts. They keep the gold in vaults underground. But I suppose you could get one."

Sam nodded and thanked Severus as his wife pulled him away to talk to a goblin. Lily turned to her friend and grinned, holding up the bag of gold.

"Shall we go, then?" she asked playfully.

"I don't see why not," the boy responded, "where to first?"

Her eyes sparkled with excitement and she replied sarcastically, "I dunno, you're supposed to be the expert."

Severus rolled his eyes, but retorted in mock seriousness, "You're absolutely right. I'm in charge!" He grinned, before offering his arm in a silly display of courtesy, saying "Shall we go?"

A laugh escaped from Lily's lips as she danced out of the silver doors, shaking the bag of money behind her so that it clinked merrily. "Catch me if you can!"

A/N: Here's a quick update to keep you coming back for more! Reading those reviews (tons, right?) made me incredibly happy, so spare a moment . Thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate it! Once again, let me know of any ideas you have for the story, and any corrections you'd like me to make. THANKYOUUU


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Diagon Alley Is a Place of Wonders

Throngs of people filled Diagon Alley. Lily found herself swept into a crowd of people and gazed, transfixed, at shop windows as she passed them by. Upon first passing these shops, she had pushed ahead determinedly to Gringotts, but now she had time to pause and wonder. This was amazing! Every shop she peered into held another distinct surprise.

Behind sparkling glass windows there were displays of spellbooks, cauldrons, golden scales, broomsticks, owls of all shapes and sizes, sweets, jokes, fireworks, bubbling potions and ingredients to make them, and things that Lily could not even identify. Poking her head into a shop, Eeylops Owl Emporium, as she and Severus walked along, Lily exclaimed, "We have got to come back here! I want an owl."

Severus promised her that they would return, while stubbornly pulling her along toward their first destination, Flourish and Blotts. Lily could not complain; Severus had explained to her that this was the main bookstore in Diagon Alley, and Lily adored books.

As they stepped into the shop, Lily breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of clean-cut pages and freshly bound volumes. It was one of her favorite scents in the world. Severus walked straight up to a tall man in scarlet robes with a name tag on and showed him their booklist, but Lily wandered over to a table of books and picked one up, slowly opening it, the spine crackling.

_"Amazing Magical Animals and their Adaptations_," she read aloud, "by Newt Scamander. Sev, look over here! These look really interesting."

Severus rolled his eyes and waved Lily over. "We'll never find everything on our lists if you get distracted by every little display. Here, go find_ One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _by Phyllida Spore and _Magical Drafts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger. That man is getting our Transfiguration, Charms, and History of Magic books."

Giggling, Lily whined, "Find them yourself." Then, changing her voice back to its usual brisk tones, she said matter-of-factly, "I'm finding myself a birthday present."

"Lily, your birthday isn't until January. Don't be ridiculous." Sev snapped peevishly.

"Well, we won't be coming back here before then, so I might as well pick something out now."

When Lily returned from "picking something out," she was carrying a stack of books that nearly hid her entire face from view. Setting them down on a chair next to Severus, she began sorting them into two piles.

"One for me, one for you, one for me, one for, you and five- no, six for me." Lily counted as she sorted.

Severus gaped, amused, as his friend looked up at him, beaming at her stack of books. "Please tell me those are schoolbooks."

"Nope. Well, I did get the Herbology and Potions books, but the rest are for me."

"_Hogwarts, a History_," Severus scoffed, glancing down at the first title, "Did anybody tell you that is not required reading?"

"Required reading? I got it for a bit of background information, it'll be fun."

Severus sighed in surrender, and turned to the shopkeeper, who had just returned. "How much will these be?"

After exiting the bookstore, Lily looked around excitedly. "Where to, Sev?" she inquired of her uncommunicative friend.

"Uh, Madam Andover's, I suppose." Severus mumbled.

Lily looked at him questioningly, then straightened, stiffly demanding, "What is wrong, Sev? You were fine before Flourish and Blotts, but now you won't even talk to me!"

"Nothing is wrong, Lily," Severus spit, "Except for the fact that you just spend bloody Galleons on useless books."

"What are you talking about, Sev?" Lily wondered, genuinely confused, "I'm going to read those. There's nothing wrong with buying books."

"You just-" Severus paused, composing himself, "You just spend money really freely. I'm not used to it. That's all."

Lily sighed, beginning to comprehend, "That's nothing to be upset about, Sev. You don't have to be ashamed. I'm not made of gold, either, I've just got an allowance I get to spend."

Severus brightened considerably when Lily mentioned she was not loaded with money, as he had earlier expected. "Thanks, Lily. Sorry I was being such an idiot. My family just-"

Before he could finish his half-hearted explanation, the fiery girl cut him off, "It's all right, Sev, I get it. Come, on, let's go to this Madam…" She looked back at Severus for assistance.

"Andover's. It's a robe shop. We each need three sets of work robes, a hat, dragon hide gloves, and a cloak. It might take a while."

Lily looked at her friend gratefully. He might be a bit strange sometimes, but he was her best friend, and he cared about her. That Lily knew how to appreciate.

"All right, deary, you're just about finished." Madam Andover told Lily coddlingly. Severus had already had his robes fitted and was paying for them as Lily was being fitted. Next to Lily was a tall, blonde, curly-haired girl with extremely pale skin, who was also being fitted for school robes.

"House colors, for the ties?" Madam Andover asked the girl.

Shaking her head as Lily watched curiously, the girl nervously replied, "No, I haven't been sorted yet."

Excited to learn that this would be one of her classmates, Lily interrupted, "You're a first year then? I am as well."

"Oh!" The girl relaxed considerably, asking Lily her name, and introducing herself as Tessa Lestrange.

"Lily Evans," Lily replied, "I'm really glad to meet you. I'm muggleborn, so I don't know very many people in our year."

"Don't worry," Tessa replied, "I'm pureblood and it's not like I've got tons of friends going to Hogwarts."

Lily looked surprised at Tessa's statement. It was a bit contradictory that she was part of a wizarding family and didn't have any magical connections. She voiced her puzzlement and waited for Tessa's explanation. Tessa, however, looked uncomfortable.

"I don't actually live with my family," the tall girl explained slowly, "I've lived with my aunt since I was nine. My parents and I don't really get along."

"Oh, sorry," Lily said comfortingly, "You don't have to tell me."

Tessa breathed in deeply, bracing herself, and replied, "It's really all right. It's my decision. Although I do have to live with them for a week every winter. They always try and convince me to come back and think their way. It's awful."

Lily's look of sympathy was not lost on Tessa, who looked much more at ease knowing she had just made a friend.

Stepping down from the stool and shrugging the new robes off over her head, Lily waved goodbye to Tessa and ran out to find Severus. Tessa, however, remained on her stool for a bit longer, wiping away the moisture that had formed at the corners of her eyes with her confession to a complete stranger. But, she reminded herself, a stranger no longer. Lily Evans was an ally.

Tessa Lestrange was… interesting. Lily didn't know what to make of the girl. She had a look about her that made her seem upper class and snobbish, but her timid, unassuming personality, as it had appeared to Lily, had been just the opposite. And what on earth was she talking about with her family? What parents could have such disturbing opinions that their nine-year-old daughter found it necessary to move out of the house? Who let their daughter move out? Lily's head was spinning with the implications.

Severus, noticing Lily's pensiveness, asked, "Who was that you were talking to back there? A Hogwarts student?"

"Yeah," Lily replied distractedly, "A first-year, like us. She seemed pretty nice."

Severus, afraid of losing his friend to the first stranger who seemed "pretty nice," replied with a bitter edge that Lily failed to notice, "I suppose. I would wait until we're sorted to become too attached. Lily, you had better be in Slytherin."

Lily groaned, "Not again, Sev, you know I've no idea what house I'll be in."

Looking down, Severus grimaced to himself. It would be unbearable if Lily was sorted anywhere else.

As Lily paid for her robes, two almost identical tall, haughty boys, clad in robes accessorized with Slytherin green and silver, pushed into the shop. Lily was curious; these looked like Hogwarts students. She tried to exchange a glance with Severus, but he was lost in thought, staring down at his feet. Resigned, she tried to look innocent while eavesdropping.

"I swear I saw her coming in," said the slightly younger-looking of the two.

Lily felt an involuntary shudder run down her spine. There weren't very many people in the shop.

"You better be right about this, Rod. I'm not wasting my time running after your stupid sister!" snapped the older boy.

"What's your problem? She's your sister too. I just want to see her," shot back Rod.

"Oh, getting sentimental, how sweet." Sarcasm dripped off of the older boy's voice, and he leaned in and muttered something to Rod so quietly that Lily could not hear.

Lily did not like where this was going, and had just made the conclusion to go find Tessa and warn her about these boys when Tessa herself walking into the room. A sharp intake of breath from the younger boy made Tessa look up and blanch. Ghostly pale and frozen in place, she began stumbling and stuttering over unrecognizable words. Lily watched intently as the older boy chuckled.

"Cat got your tongue, Tess?" he said in a familiar manner.

Tessa cleared her throat and whispered, "Rabastan. Rod. What- how- um- hi."

The older boy laughed even harder at Tessa's discomfort, teasing, "Yes, It's really us, and you had better get used to it. You're getting ready for Hogwarts, I see."

"Stop it, Stan," Rodolphus, the younger boy, spat, "It's not her fault."

"Not her fault? You must be forgetting that she is the one who decided to move out. She couldn't handle mum and dad's prejudiced ways." Rabastan shot back, putting an overly sarcastic stress on the word 'prejudiced' as he rolled his eyes.

Rodolphus turned to Tessa and said quietly, "Hey. How've you been?" He sounded sincere, but Tessa still shuddered slightly.

"Tessa, It's me. Rod. I'm still the same person, even if we don't agree on everything. Come back, Tess."

"Just stop, Rod. I'm so sick of it. It's not like I can just ignore who you are, who you want to become. I'm glad auntie took me in; I would've left no matter what."

Both boys looked taken aback by Tessa's loud, blunt speech after such an exhibition of nervous frailty. Bright red and fuming, Rodolphus turned to Rabastan and muttered, "I tried. I'm done. Let's go." Turning on the spot, the tall, imposing youths stormed out of the shop. Severus's eyes followed them out with an odd sort of admiration that Lily could not comprehend.

Tessa glanced down, blinking rapidly. Tears dripped down her perfect, straight, slightly freckled nose. Looking sadly at Lily, who was standing still, dumbfounded, Tessa sighed, "I see you've met my brothers."

At that moment, everything clicked in place in Lily's mind. Pity for this poor girl welled up inside her, and she stepped toward her with sympathy. Tessa's family, the Lestranges, must be truly awful people. Her brothers were cruel and teasing, and the worst part was that Tessa deserved none of it. She was obviously sweet, kind, and thoughtful.

Severus cleared his throat, giving Lily a look that said, "Let's get a move on, then."

Lily shook her head silently and continued to comfort Tessa for several more minutes until Severus could stand it no longer. He cleared his throat yet again, and made to move toward the door. "I'm going to the apothecary," he stated simply, "I'll wait for you there."

Making an impromptu decision that she knew Severus might not appreciate, Lily looked at Tessa calculatingly and said, "You coming?"

Inside the apothecary, the entire episode from Madam Andover's was forgotten. The shelves of the shop were lined with glass jars of all shapes and sizes, but it was the content within the jars that captivated Lily. Colorful powders and mixtures looked innocent enough, but were labeled things like powdered claw of griffin, dried newt tails, essence of oleander, and, to Lily's horror, troll toenails. Beside the countless jars lay bundles of feathers, sticks, bark, and herbs that contributed to the interesting, but slightly revolting, Tessa pointed out, odor inside the shop.

Once Severus had managed to pull the girls away from the fascinating displays and the supplies on his list had been purchased threefold, the Magical Menagerie became the trio's next destination. Lily was determined to find the perfect owl.

An hour of dodging bird droppings and incessant hooting later, Lily had indeed found the perfect owl. As it happened, Tessa had also managed to fall in love with a tiny, gamboling, adorable black kitten. Lily's barn owl was paid for and ready to be transported in her new shiny cage, but for all their insisting and complaining, Tessa would not leave the shop.

"I can't leave without him!" Tessa whined over and over again.

"I've got an idea," Lily said sarcastically, "Why don't you buy him and be done with it?"

Tessa exhaled a long, drawn-out sigh. "I haven't got the money."

Lily looked startled. "Well, how much is he?"

"Three galleons." Tessa grumbled, looking completely forlorn, "And don't pity me now. I have got three galleons, just not to spend on him. I've got to save it. I hate this."

Pretending to understand more than she actually did about Tessa's situation, Lily proposed a compromise, "Give me one galleon and I'll pay the other two. I won't let you say no, so hand it over."

Tessa brightened instantaneously, but still looked a bit ashamed of accepting Lily's charity. Grinning sheepishly, she offered an explanation. "My family's got loads of money, as you could probably tell from Rod and Stan. They, um, sort of cut me off. Now all I've got is an allowance from my aunt."

Once again full of sympathy for Tessa's predicament, Lily refused to hear a word of complaint from Tessa as she took the kitten up to the counter, paid for him, and handed him back to Tessa. For the second time that day, Tessa's eyes filled with tears.

"Thanks Lily. We had better be in the same house."

"Slytherin," Severus added, "You had better be in Slytherin."

With a watery smile, Tessa pulled her two new friends into a warm hug.

_Wow_, Lily thought happily, _this is not what I expected of today. Diagon Alley is a place of wonders._

A/N: Yay, finally another update! I can't lie, receiving ONE review at the end of last chapter was more than depressing. Come on, kids ;) YOU ARE MY INSPIRATION!

Finally, sorry about the long wait. My life is overwhelming. Haha, if you're as stressed as me, feel free to rant and rave… in the form of a review! 3

P.S. I fixed Lily's birthday. It's in January! thanks Bliss for spotting that!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: A Special School for Freaks

Lily awoke suddenly as the soft pattering of rain above her turned into an audible drumming noise. The weather was being so strange as of late. Taking a deep breath to relieve the fogginess of her mind, she turned over and glanced at the luminous display of the clock beside her bed. According to the blinking greenish lights, it was 5:59, precisely one minute before her alarm would go off. Following her usual routine, Lily got out of bed, stumbled to the bathroom where she woke herself up and brushed her teeth, and traipsed back into her room, heading for the calendar hanging on her wall. Grabbing a red marker, she crossed off August 31 and turned to the new page: September. Lily shrieked.

"IT'S SEPTEMBER THE FIRST!"

After much pushing, prodding, shoving, and grumbling, Lily finally managed to get her sleepy family out of the door and into the car on the way to King's Cross. None of them had been overly pleased to be awoken by her screaming at six o'clock in the morning, but her parents, sensing her excitement, had relented and gotten up. Petunia was on the other end of the spectrum.

It had taken over half an hour of coaxing for Josie to get Petunia out of bed, and Petunia had been furious when she finally learned of the family's plans for the day. Sam had persisted in saying that it was not their fault; she would have known before if she had been listening the dozen times they brought it up over the last two weeks. However, Petunia had not deigned it necessary to listen to her father, and thus had been utterly shocked to find she would be missing half of her first day of classes to see her sister off at King's Cross.

"I would just like you all to know that I am bloody angry and this is not okay." Petunia had hissed, as she picked at her waffles.

"PETUNIA!" Sam had exclaimed, "That was uncalled for! Watch your language, missy."

"Darling," Josie had added sternly, "you are not going to be seeing your sister for the next three months. The least you can do is see her off."

Petunia had ground her teeth in frustration, but did not argue.

Now, three yawning and one shaking with nerves, the family of four was pulling into a parking space after an hour of silent contemplation in the car.

Lily slid gracefully out of her seat and straight into a large puddle, jolting with surprise as the wetness seeped into her socks. "Eugh," she whined sarcastically, "just my luck."

Petunia snorted, but looked distastefully up at the stormy grey sky. Popping open an umbrella to protect her painstakingly curled locks and perfect makeup, she followed after her parents without so much as a backwards glance at Lily.

Unconcerned, Lily hopped between dry patches of concrete looking like quite the picture of innocence in her emerald coat, with her straight red hair hanging down her back.

Remembering the Ministry official's instructions as they approached the barrier between platforms nine and ten, Sam and Josie hesitated. Not noticing that they had stopped, Lily crashed into them. Her owl, Maximillian, hooted balefully at his mistreatment as he hopped around in his cage to keep from colliding with the sides.

Petunia looked distrustfully at the barrier before turning to Lily. "You first."

Shutting her eyes tightly, Lily walked briskly toward the barrier, waiting for the collision, and waiting, and waiting, and feeling… nothing! She opened her eyes and looked around delightedly as her family stepped through the barrier after her, her father holding her trunk and her mother carrying Maximillian's cage.

The clock near the sign reading "Platform 9 ¾" showed that only fifteen minutes remained until the scarlet train departed. Lily shuffled her feet and tried to hide the anxious tears forming in her vivid green eyes, brushing them away inconspicuously as she tucked her hair behind her ears, a nervous habit.

Sam lifted Lily's chin and looked at her sternly, though his eyes were twinkling, and said, "No crying Lilykins. You're going to be amazing. Write to us every day and don't leave a single detail out." He kissed her cheek and enveloped her in a suffocating hug.

Lily smiled and turned to Josie, who said, hands on hips, "You write to us, or else you'll be coming straight back home. I mean it! I'm going to miss you terribly, sweetheart." She also hugged Lily, but her embrace was much warmer and gentler. Looking over Lily's shoulder, she chuckled, "Look who it is."

Wriggling out of her mother's arms, Lily spun around as a black-haired boy called out her name.

"Severus!" Lily cried, pleased, "Can you believe it? We're really going!"

Petunia, who had actually been planning on giving Lily a relatively warm goodbye, scoffed angrily at the bat-like boy already wearing his Hogwarts robes.

Remembering that he had left his trunk with his mother, Severus ran back to fetch it, but heard Petunia's voice rise above the din and hesitated.

"Why does HE get to go to Hogwarts? He's a little creep; don't I deserve it a bit more?" Petunia was shouting at Lily.

"I'm sorry, Tuney, I'm sorry! Listen-" Lily tried to think of a solution, but was coming up with ideas no more substantial than the steam escaping from the train. "Maybe once I'm there – no, listen, Tuney! Maybe once I'm there, I'll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!"

The older girl, embarrassed at her situation, yelled, "I don't – want – to – go! You think I want to go to some stupid castle and learn to be a – a – you think I want to be a – a freak?"

Lily's eyes were once again full of tears as Petunia stepped back from her. Icy silence filled the space between them.

"I'm not a freak; that's a horrible thing to say."

"That's where you're going," Petunia gloated. "A special school for freaks. You and that Snape boy … weirdos, that's what you two are. It's good you're being separated from normal people. It's for our safety."

Looking around for her parents for backup, Lily was annoyed to see that they had missed Petunia's harsh insults and were chatting with a smiling couple, too far away to come to her aid.

"You didn't think it was such a freak's school when you wrote to the Headmaster and begged him to take you."

"Beg? I didn't beg!" snapped Petunia, blushing.

"I saw his reply. It was very kind."

"You shouldn't have read –" whispered Petunia. "That was my private – how could you -?" Noticing Lily's sideways glance toward Severus, who was still watching the scene unfold, Petunia turned even redder as the realization hit her.

"That boy found it! You and that boy have been sneaking in my room!"

"No – not sneaking. Severus saw the envelope, and he couldn't believe a Muggle could have contacted Hogwarts, that's all! He says there must be wizards working undercover in the postal service who take care of-"

"Apparently wizards poke their noses in everywhere! _Freak!_" hissed Petunia, and she finally marched back over to where her parents stood in conversation.

As Lily watched, Petunia tugged on her mother's sleeve and mumbled something to her before dashing off the platform and out of sight. Confused, Lily marched over to Josie and demanded, "Where has Petunia gone?"

"Oh, she said she wasn't feeling well. Went to sit in the car." Distracted, Josie turned back to rejoin her conversation when the woman with whom she was speaking inquired about Lily.

"So this must be your first-year. Hello there – are you excited to be beginning at Hogwarts?" asked the black-haired woman.

Putting on a false smile, Lily replied vaguely, "Oh, yes. Terribly excited. It's all been quite shocking ever since I got my letter."

"Ah, yes," said the woman knowingly, "It's hard sometimes when you haven't got a magical background. Right, David?" Her husband David, a tall, handsome man, nodded in agreement.

"Yes indeed, I'll never forget when I got my letter. I didn't believe it until two ministry officials were knocking at my door," stated David, chuckling at the memory.

Lily tuned out the remainder of her parents' conversation until a girl about her height who looked remarkably like the witch talking to her mother came to stand beside her. The girl was startlingly pretty, with long black hair falling in ringlets, rosy cheeks, and wide, heavily-lashed dark brown eyes.

Breaking her gaze from the lovely girl, Lily tried to seem busy doing something important rather than vaguely lost in the whirl of action consuming the platform.

A far-off voice was saying something when Lily snapped back into reality from her daydream, and she came into focus as a hand waved in front of her face.

"Anybody home? Aha! Your parents are looking for you! I'm getting us a compartment. Meet me on the train?" It was Severus. Laughing exasperatedly, he pushed Lily toward her parents and shouted, "Come find me!" as the train's whistle blew.

Lily gave Severus a dirty look as he dashed away, and went to find her parents.

A surprise awaited Lily as she jogged to say her final goodbyes to her mum and dad; Tessa stood nearby, looking extremely excited.

"LILY! Let's get on the train, we're going to be late!" shouted Tessa, dragging the bemused redhead away from her content parents.

"Hello to you, too, Tessa."

Tessa chuckled as she stepped lightly up and into the train. Following compliantly, Lily hopped into the train. A few moments later, it gave a lurch.

"We cut that one a little close," remarked Lily nonchalantly, but in truth she looked a bit scared upon pondering what might have happened.

Every single compartment seemed to be full, and Severus was nowhere to be found. Finally Lily and Tessa gave up their quest for an empty compartment and settled for one occupied by two rather attractive boys. The first boy, with shaggy black hair, a long, straight nose, olive skin, and mischievous grey eyes, introduced himself as Sirius Black. He, however, seemed a bit more modest than the boy sitting next to him. This second boy was taller and looked quite a bit older than the first. His messy black hair was cropped quite short, but still managed to be all over the place. Framed by cute glasses were wide hazel eyes, and a splatter of freckles almost undistinguishable from his tan skin spread across his cheekbones. In a very loud and proud voice, he introduced himself as James Potter.

Lily looked from Tessa to James and responded, "I'm Lily Evans. This is Tessa Lestrange. Are you first years?"

"Yeah," said Sirius, looking relieved, "You are as well then?"

"Of course." Tessa added, seeming equally comforted by the presence of two boys as new to this as them. "I'm going to go change into robes, you okay Lily?"

Lily gave her assent and Tessa departed. Sliding down the seat toward the window, Lily actively ignored Sirius and James, and whatever they were talking about that was animating them so much.

However, her peaceful contemplation of the scenery whizzing by was abruptly interrupted as the compartment door slid open and she glanced around to see not Tessa but Severus waiting for her to speak. Regret and anger welled up inside her and threatened more tears as she choked out, "I don't want to talk to you."

"Why not?" Severus looked genuinely confused.

"Tuney h – hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore."

"So what?" Honestly, girls were so strange sometimes.

Lily was outraged at his blatant unconcern. "So she's my sister!"

Feeling exasperated, Severus began, "She's only a –" however, he stopped himself in time before Lily could hear him.

"But we're going! This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!" Finally able to bring up what was really important, Severus was dying to discuss Hogwarts with Lily.

Taking Lily's small smile as encouragement, he continued, "You'd better be in Slytherin."

Lily rolled her eyes. They were back to this again.

"Slytherin?" James asked distastefully. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

Worry spread across Sirius's face at this. "My whole family have been in Slytherin," he said.

"Blimey," said James, "and I thought you seemed all right!"

Sirius laughed and said hopefully, "Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"

Striking a heroic pose, James grinned. " _'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' _Like my dad."

Severus scoffed at this.

"Got a problem with that?" asked James.

"No," replied Severus, though his expression said yes. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy –"

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius shot back.

James laughed uproariously, and Lily was annoyed even though Severus had ruined everything with Petunia. These boys had no reason to pick on her friend; he had not done anything wrong. Lily had had enough.

"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."

"Oooooo …"

The pair left the compartment to imitations of Lily's imperious tone and a call of,

"See ya, Snivellus!"

Upon Lily's departure from the compartment, James became very quiet and pensive. This girl, Lily, just seemed so… different… than other girls. Her looks were startling; they had just experienced a stiflingly hot summer, yet she remained a creamy pale. Flaming red hair on top of this complexion made her stand out like a beacon, and yet, it appeared it was her personality that would set her apart from everybody else. From what he had just experienced, James thought he just might have some competition for attention this year.

A/N: What better way to introduce our beloved Marauders than in the words of Ms. Rowling herself? Yeah, I confess I stole the dialogue from the Petunia/Lily confrontation and the James/Sirius/Snape/Lily scene straight from HPDH. I like to keep it accurate. The sorting scene will probably be one of the last times that'll happen. Is it worth it? Let me know… Anything and everything, I want to hear it all! Review please! Love, Em

P.S. Sorry about the wait, this chapter seemed to take forever! I promise I'm working hard!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Fairy-Tale Castle

Lily banged the compartment door shut, fuming. Boys were insufferable. Except for Severus, of course. Then again, Sev could be quite insupportable as well at times, but she was much quicker to forgive him; he always meant well. Lily felt a tug on her arm and turned to Severus. He was standing, staring at her with an expression of impatience.

"Move, Lily!" He snapped for a second time, and this time Lily heard and complied.

Finally becoming aware of her surroundings, she flushed tomato red as she saw the line of people that she had been holding up. She mumbled her apologies as they passed, each person glaring at the pixie-like first year who obviously didn't know her place quite yet.

At the very back of the line was Tessa, returning from changing her robes.

"Thank god we found you before you went back to those awful boys," said Lily, "We only just escaped. Let's find another compartment."

Tessa did not question the pleading look Lily gave her, responding, "Sure, I don't see why not. There's a compartment with only two girls in it a bit toward the front, we could try there."

When Severus assented, the trio shuffled down the narrow hallway toward the front of the train. Each compartment they passed was its own little world. Some held groups of gossiping girls, others consisted of groups of laughing, rowdy boys surrounded by piles of sweets, and yet others contained couples making doe eyes at each other and holding hands. Magic was hardly even prevalent in the train's compartments, but it was obvious that these were not average teenagers.

Tessa came to a halt in front of a glass door that was closed but unlocked and shyly slid it open, poking her head in to talk to the two girls.

"Do you mind if we sit in here? Everywhere is full."

"No, of course, sit down!" The first girl, who was tiny, blurted out rapidly. She shifted to reveal the girl sitting behind her to Lily. Lily recognized the black-haired girl from the station.

"I'm Lily. This is Severus and Tessa. Are you first-years?" Lily diplomatically began a hesitant conversation.

"Yes, of course. I'm Alice Levin, this is Hestia Jones." The speed at which Alice spoke did not decrease after her first remarks; she speech remained in a very excitable state of rapidity.

Hestia's face lit up with recognition as she saw Lily; she smiled brightly, saying, "Our parents met! Sorry about not introducing myself earlier. It was a bit rude-"

Finally comfortable, Lily would have none of it. "Don't be daft, I wasn't exactly outgoing either. It's embarrassing sometimes, having non-magic parents. They were so excited for today, but they don't really get it. Ha, then again, neither do I." Her explanation grew more and more thoughtful until she became aware that everyone was listening to her, at which point she quieted down, laughing awkwardly.

The entire compartment looked extremely empathetic at this statement; each student was facing their own secret fears about Hogwarts and the future.

"I wouldn't worry about not knowing much about Hogwarts, Lily," Hestia spoke up, "It's not that big of an advantage being from a magical family. Sure, we'll know more about magical things, but as to actual magic, none of us has ever been allowed to try it."

Alice automatically agreed, "Oh yeah, I've heard it's all about practice and hard work. We all start off at the same level."

Severus, however, looked skeptical. "I hope…" he mumbled, looking away, "But I sure wouldn't count on it. I bet _James_'s parents don't tell him off for spellwork."

A curious look passed from Lily to Severus at this comment, but he didn't elaborate.

"James Potter?" Alice asked curiously. "He's an old family friend. I talked to him earlier, but he just went on and on about how excellent he heard the food was. As if he doesn't get three amazing meals a day at the mansion."

Lily spluttered with indignation at Alice's placid expression of this description of James. "A family friend? The _mansion_? I take it the Potters are well off-"

Even Hestia snorted at this. "Lily, the Potters are probably the richest wizarding family in existence, besides the Blacks. Oh, and maybe the Malfoys, but nobody really knows."

This was momentous news to Lily. She had never even the pondered the modern history of wizards, preferring to pore over her copy of _A History of Magic_ and learn about witch-burnings and the first wizarding settlements. Suddenly she again felt isolated from the purebloods in the group as they gossiped about the respective fortunes of each of these ancient families. Why did it have to be that James Potter, of all people, was from one of the oldest, most famous wizarding families? He seemed to have everything going for him, yet he could not even be bothered to be kind to Severus. Lily decided that they must have experienced his excited, less mannerly state. Surely he would improve.

The next time Lily peered around Alice to gaze out of the window, the mountains running alongside the train were a dusky purple and it looked like somebody had spilled scarlet paint over the sky. A queasiness unrelated to the two chocolate frogs and various Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans that Lily had tried was growing in her stomach; they were nearing the end of their journey.

As talk turned to the sorting ceremony, somebody rapped on the glass of the compartment door. A Ravenclaw prefect in neatly pressed robes coughed into her elbow as she slid the door open and looked around the compartment.

"Hello, can we help you?" questioned Tessa, who was nearest to her.

Rolling her eyes, the girl said quickly, "We're nearly at the school." Glancing down at Tessa's robes, she raised her eyebrows, adding, "The rest of you should change into your school things. Soon." and she shut the door.

It was obvious as Lily stepped off of the train that the village of Hogsmeade had experienced the same rain as London had that morning. Her shiny new shoes sunk into the soggy ground, and looking down, she searched for a dry patch of earth on which to stand. Tessa, Severus, Hestia, and Alice followed her, presumably assuming that she knew where to go.

Lanterns were being lit all around as students filed off of the train. The older students immediately headed for a line of coaches that didn't appear to be attached to anything, but they stepped into them nevertheless. Following the crowd, Lily made to do the same when she bumped into somebody.

Looking up from her careful avoidance of mud, Lily found herself one of numerous bulging pockets on a brown overcoat belonging to an enormous man.

"Firs'-years! This way, this way. Firs'-years over here! Hello there, are yeh a firs'-year then?" The man interrupted his shouting over the crowd to look down at Lily, who gazed up at him, astounded.

Lily found herself tongue-tied and barely managed to form the words "Um, h-hello. Ye-yeah, I'm Lily."

"Good ter meet yeh. I'm Hagrid, gamekeeper. Tell yer friends ter follow me, then. We're headed out ter the boats. Goin' across the lake—Hey! No firs'-years in the carriages, then! Come over here, yeh lot. Watch yer step, we're goin' down this path now."

Now that Lily got a good look at him, Hagrid looked no more than twenty. She had not known there was a gamekeeper position at Hogwarts. Lily wondered if they all had to be that large for the job.

Severus nudged Lily, smirking in Hagrid's direction. "What an oaf. I wonder who decided to keep _him_ around." He chuckled, but Lily looked annoyed.

"What did he do to you? Just leave it, Sev." She turned away to speak to Tessa, and Severus looked more confused than ever. He wanted so badly to be Lily's best friend, but every other comment he made seemed to be wrong. Disappointed at his latest misstep, he continued along, behind Lily.

The small group gathered members until fifty or so first-years were ready to follow Hagrid down the dark path that would lead them to the boats. Careful not to trip, Lily followed Tessa along the path until it turned sharply and opened onto a marvelous view of mountains, stars, and a picturesque castle reflected in a glassy lake. Alice, who had stopped suddenly behind Lily, gasped in excitement.

"Isn't she beau'iful? That's Hogwarts, all right." Hagrid turned to face the line of students, beaming. "Keep moving, four to a boat when yeh get there! C'mon, move along. Everybody in? All right, get ready—FORWARD!"

The boats smoothly departed from the shore, skimming along the lake without breaking the the perfect reflection of the giant castle ahead. Lily felt like a princess returning home after a long voyage and grinned at the thought. Then, thinking of Petunia, she felt her happiness fade a little. She was the one who had always been in love with fairy tales and happily-ever-afters. She would have been so excited to be where Lily was.

Students murmured here and there, but nerves were getting the better of the majority of them. The castle loomed larger and larger as they approached it, until they finally passed into the cliff beneath the castle through a curtain of ivy that just brushed the tops of their heads. Severus smiled at the looks of amazement on Lily's, Hestia's, and Tessa's countenances, but even he did not know what to expect next.

The boats bumped into the rocky shore one by one, and as the first years took their time exiting the wobbly boats, Hagrid strode purposefully up a flight of stairs to the large door ahead and knocked three times.

A very thin, stern-looking witch with black hair firmly coiled into a bun answered the door, greeting Hagrid. "Thank you, I will take them now." Turning to the gathering students, she said, "I am Professor McGonagall. Follow me, please."

Peering around curiously, the students hastily pushed through the doors and into the grand Entrance Hall. The ceiling was unbelievably high, and the room itself was enormous, but deserted. So were the staircases leading from the hall. McGonagall turned into a relatively small chamber, then, and waited for the students to follow her in before beginning to speak.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she began. "The banquet to celebrate the beginning of term will commence shortly, but first we must sort you new students into houses. This Sorting Ceremony is very important because, during your seven years here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with your house-mates, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time and do work in the house common room.

"There are four houses at Hogwarts, and they are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has a unique, noble history, and has produced talented witches and wizards. During your time here, your triumphs will earn your points for your house, while any misconduct will lose points. The House Cup, a great honor, is awarded at the end of the year to the house with the most points. I sincerely hope you will be a benefit to whichever house becomes yours. We will be sorting in a few minutes; I will come back when we are ready."

Alice looked ready to hyperventilate as Professor McGonagall exited back into the Entrance Hall. Lily patted her arm reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Alice," Hestia advised. "The Sorting's nothing to worry about, you just have to try on the Sorting Hat."

Lily looked up at this; she had not read anything about the Sorting Ceremony in _Hogwarts, A History_. "Do you really?"

"Yeah, it's easy." Hestia smiled. "I heard some boys talking about magical challenges as part of the Ceremony, but the hardest part is really just going in front of the entire school."

The students close enough to hear this were noticeably relieved, but Lily did not feel much better. Audiences were not her greatest strength, and she envied those who could step into a spotlight without feeling the sickening nerves she experienced._ Calm,_ she reminded herself,_ it will go just fine. All you've got to do is try on the stupid hat._

A hush fell over the first-years as the door to the chamber opened and Professor McGonagall returned. She cleared her throat unnecessarily; she had the rapt attention of the entire room. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start. Form a line and follow me."

A/N: It has been forever. Literally. No more disclaimers on my abysmal posting… the chapters are just going to come when they come. However, I am still EXTREMELY sorry for those of you who've been waiting. Thanks a ton for coming back! Love y'all, Em


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